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Conservation Futures
Please note: The 2021 Conservation Futures Open Nomination Round has closed the open nomination round period! We have initiated the evaluation process for nominations received. See below for more details / updates!
The Spokane County Conservation Futures Program was conceived in 1994 with the voters approval of an advisory ballot measure authorizing a property tax levy of (up-to) 6.25-cents per $1000 of property value, in order to acquire and preserve Spokane County's open space, streams, rivers, and other natural resources. What does this mean? For a home assessed at $150,000, up to $9 per year is assessed and dedicated to the Conservation Futures fund to preserve and enhance Spokane County's quality of life.
As of July 2020, the Conservation Futures Program has acquired over 9,145 acres through 52 acquisitions owned and managed by Spokane County, City of Spokane, and City of Cheney. To learn more about each acquisition since 1994, check out the Conservation Futures Acquisition History and a map of acquisitions to date!
2021 Nomination Round
[9/10/21 Update]
The Board of County Commissioners approved opening a new Conservation Futures Nomination Round! We accepted completed nomination forms from May 1 through midnight July 31. The outcome of this nomination round will be a ranked, prioritized acquisition list of all nominations received that will be used by staff to guide future open space acquisitions over the next 6 years starting with the top-ranked properties. Staff anticipates that the top 3-5 properties on this list will be acquired over that time period. However, there are many variables including purchase price, outside funding opportunities, and having willing sellers that could increase or decrease the amount of properties acquired.
Public Meeting Info / Comment Period
Thanks to everyone who attended the public meeting on September 9th, 2021 from 5:00pm - 7:30pm. We are working to post the recording of that meeting (if possible).
Written Comments:
Thanks to everyone who competed the Public Comment Survey that replaced the hand written comment cards typically accepted at previous in-person meetings. You can now view those written results by clicking here. This report will be shared with the Land Evaluation Committee. The survey was reopened for one more week following the Public Meeting. The results of that supplemental survey can be found here.
Additional Meeting Info:
Meeting Agenda
Nomination Preview Presentation
Of the total levy revenue generated annually, 25% is dedicated toward maintaining, protecting and enhancing these properties in perpetuity. This translates into improved public access, signage, noxious weed control, and other activities that protect and enhance the public's investment.
Questions? Contact: Paul Knowles, Parks Special Projects Manager at (509) 477-2188 or pknowles@spokanecounty.org.
Conservation Futures Program
The Spokane County Conservation Futures Program was conceived in 1994 with the voters approval of an advisory ballot measure authorizing a property tax levy of (up-to) 6.25-cents per $1000 of property value, in order to acquire and preserve Spokane County's open space, streams, rivers, and other natural resources. What does this mean? For a home assessed at $150,000, up to $9 per year is assessed and dedicated to the Conservation Futures fund to preserve and enhance Spokane County's quality of life.
As of July 2020, the Conservation Futures Program has acquired over 9,145 acres through 52 acquisitions owned and managed by Spokane County, City of Spokane, and City of Cheney. To learn more about each acquisition since 1994, check out the Conservation Futures Acquisition History and a map of acquisitions to date!
2021 Nomination Round
[9/10/21 Update]The Board of County Commissioners approved opening a new Conservation Futures Nomination Round! We accepted completed nomination forms from May 1 through midnight July 31. The outcome of this nomination round will be a ranked, prioritized acquisition list of all nominations received that will be used by staff to guide future open space acquisitions over the next 6 years starting with the top-ranked properties. Staff anticipates that the top 3-5 properties on this list will be acquired over that time period. However, there are many variables including purchase price, outside funding opportunities, and having willing sellers that could increase or decrease the amount of properties acquired.
Public Meeting Info / Comment Period
Thanks to everyone who attended the public meeting on September 9th, 2021 from 5:00pm - 7:30pm. We are working to post the recording of that meeting (if possible).
Written Comments:
Thanks to everyone who competed the Public Comment Survey that replaced the hand written comment cards typically accepted at previous in-person meetings. You can now view those written results by clicking here. This report will be shared with the Land Evaluation Committee. The survey was reopened for one more week following the Public Meeting. The results of that supplemental survey can be found here.
Additional Meeting Info:
Meeting Agenda
Nomination Preview Presentation
Maintenance & Operations
Of the total levy revenue generated annually, 25% is dedicated toward maintaining, protecting and enhancing these properties in perpetuity. This translates into improved public access, signage, noxious weed control, and other activities that protect and enhance the public's investment.
Questions? Contact: Paul Knowles, Parks Special Projects Manager at (509) 477-2188 or pknowles@spokanecounty.org.